ShopperTrak: Late shoppers fueled sales, traffic

By Marianne Wilson

Chicago -- National retail sales increased 2.5% and foot traffic also increased 2.5% when compared with the same two months last year, according to ShopperTrak, the world’s largest counter of retail foot traffic.

ShopperTrak’s initial data indicates that shoppers spent $248.8 billion during this period, which marked the third consecutive year with positive total retail sales. It also was the second holiday season of the past three with positive foot traffic changes.

The 2012 holiday season had the longest interval possible between Black Friday and Christmas, with an extra weekend of holiday shopping. As a result, many consumers procrastinated in finishing their holiday shopping.

But once the late-bloomers headed out to stores, their last-minute shopping and post-Christmas exchanges drove large increases in both retail sales and foot traffic during the final days of December. ShopperTrak forecasts that for the week ending Dec. 29, sales increased 18% and traffic increased 14.4% compared to the same period last year. This indicates the largest year-over-year increase of the holiday season.

“Heavy discounting by retailers at the end of December led to increases in shopper activity across the board,” said ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin.

ShopperTrak estimates that three of the busiest foot traffic days occurred in late December. Though “Black Weekend” held its own – Black Friday, Nov. 23, retains the top spot and Saturday, Nov. 24 comes in as the fifth-busiest traffic day – the weekends leading up to Christmas saw the most shoppers at stores and malls. ShopperTrak reports that “Super Saturday,” Dec. 22, was the second-busiest shopping day of the season, followed by Saturday, Dec. 15 in third and Sunday, Dec. 23 ranking fourth.

Similarly, the top sales days of the holidays took place largely toward the end of the season. Black Friday again led the pack, followed by Super Saturday. Dec. 23, Dec. 21, and Dec. 15, in that order, rounded out the top five best sales days of the holidays. They helped to close the holiday season on a high note, according to Martin.